


Let Him Love Me Forever

by jehanjoly (orphan_account)



Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fluff and Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-09
Updated: 2013-12-09
Packaged: 2018-01-04 04:09:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1076365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/jehanjoly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Joly can't sleep because he's worrying about his relationship with Jehan.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Let Him Love Me Forever

**Author's Note:**

> Based on this artwork by juliegris. Excuse the explicit sentimentality and the use of present tense.

For his entire life, Joly has been a fitful sleeper — every night he gets into bed, closes his eyes, and tries to relax.

And then his mind starts to race.

Racing about the past.

Racing about the future.

He’s been thinking a lot about the future lately. Thinking, more specifically, about a future with Jehan. Truth is, he’d been wondering what a life with Jehan would be like for years – since they first met, several years ago.

But Joly was living with Bossuet and Musichetta, and Jehan and Courfeyrac were muddling through their on-again, off-again relationship – and although he’d sometimes found himself gazing at the handsome young poet at idle moments in the Musain, he knew there were too many complications for them to make it work.

But then Jehan finally ended it with Courfeyrac.

And Joly started sleeping on the couch at his apartment.

And then on a balmy Friday night back in June — after their friends went their separate ways, seeking different levels of debauchery – Joly found himself pulling up a chair next to Prouvaire as they both remained behind, ordering more wine and talking about the future. The future of the arts, of science, of the nation.

They kept talking – past bar time, as it were, and took the conversation back to Jehan’s apartment.

And eventually, to Jehan’s bed.

It’s October now, and they’ve been together just about every night since then. Grantaire has been making pointed comments about Joly paying rent lately. Joly supposes Grantaire has a point, that he should just box up his stuff at Bossuet and Musichetta’s and bring it here.

Yet Joly hesitates.

It’s not because he doesn’t want to live with Jehan – he would give anything to make this official, to wake up every morning to the sound of Jehan snoring ever so lightly next to him.

But what if it doesn’t work? What if it ends up in an ugly, messy breakup, like the dénouement of Jehan and Courfeyrac’s relationship? Or worse, like his own recent breakup — the quiet realization one day that you no longer love the person you thought you loved?

Joly is wide awake now, his brow furrowed as he turns over to one side, facing away from Jehan. He’s thinking like a doctor – imagining all of the worst case scenarios, all the complications and bad interactions that could happen.

As his mind races, he can feel Jehan stirring beside him. Unlike him, Jehan sleeps the sleep of the dead – and if he doesn’t get his full eight hours, he is cranky and useless the rest of the day. Joly wants to let him get his rest, so he crawls out of bed and wanders into the living room in his t-shirt and boxers. The full moon, as seen through the tall windows, bathes the space in a pale white glow.

Joly finds himself staring up at the moon, wishing fervently he knew with absolute certainty that there was a God up there who would answer his prayers.

Please, he implores silently, not knowing if there is anyone listening. 

Let him love me forever.

The apartment is silent, but Joly can’t shake the voices of doubt in his head, growling and hissing at him like a scared cat. The voices are deafening – so deafening that he does not hear Jehan get up from their bed to look for him. He does not know Jehan is there until he can feel him standing behind him, wrapping his strong arms around Joly’s chest.

Joly is startled for a moment, but doesn’t turn around. He puts his hand over Jehan’s and leans into his lover’s broad chest.

Jehan kisses him sweetly on the shoulder. “Are you okay, Jolllly?” he says in a half-whisper, even though Grantaire is out for the evening and there is no one they can possibly disturb.

Joly is quiet for a moment, still staring at the moon. Then the words come out in a rush of emotion: “I’ve waited so long to be with you, Jehan – I couldn’t stand it if you decided one day you were finished with me.”

Jehan pulls him closer, burying his face in Joly’s neck. “I could never be finished with you,” he says, his voice slightly muffled. “There is no one I’d rather be with – not now, not ever,” he says.

Joly hears the words – and fervently hopes they will ring true forever.

“Come live with me, Joly,” Jehan continues. “Wake up next to me every morning, fall asleep next to me every night. Be my sun and my moon and my stars.”

Joly’s mind finally stops.

“Yes,” he says simply.

Jehan leads him back to bed then, wrapping his body around Joly’s, stroking his hair and his back without a word.

And finally Joly sleeps – knowing, hoping that maybe, somehow, his prayer was answered.


End file.
